New IBM Analytics Technology Helps Clients Unlock Big Data

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ARMONK, N.Y.,
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22 Jun 2011:
IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a new analytics appliance that allows organizations to analyze up to 10 petabytes of data in a matter of minutes. The technology is designed to help industries uncover patterns and trends from large data sets while meeting compliance mandates.

The new IBM Netezza High Capacity Appliance addresses a growing challenge where organizations are amassing huge amounts of data. Banks, insurance companies, healthcare organizations and communications services providers are required by industry regulators to retain massive amounts of data – in some cases up to a decade. As data retention laws continue to evolve, organizations are faced with a unique challenge to store and analyze ever-expanding "big data" sets that may not be directly related to daily operations, yet still hold potential business value.

Using the new appliance, businesses can now more easily sift through petabytes of data including banking and mobile phone transactions, insurance claims, electronic medical records and sales information. Companies can also analyze this information to reveal new trends on consumer sentiment, product safety, and sales and marketing effectiveness.

IBM Netezza appliances are workload optimized systems based on IBM BladeCenter technology that analyze petabytes of data significantly faster than competing options, and at a much lower total cost of ownership.

Unlike competitive technologies, the new appliance can be up and running in 24 hours and analyze data at a much lower cost per terabyte. The appliance is the first to be delivered by IBM since it acquired Netezza in November 2010.

Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource® for prices, values, and expert and consumer reviews on new and used vehicles, will be testing the new appliance to analyze click stream data created by users surfing their Web site. The company will be able to analyze this information to see what topics visitors cared most about, such as used and new vehicle prices, safety recall and warranty data, and vehicle buyer reviews.

"Kelley Blue Book will evaluate the new appliance to unlock the value of archived data in search of new ways to grow our business," said Karen Simmons, senior director of Data Warehousing at Kelley Blue Book. "This appliance allows organizations like ours to take a fresh look at historical information and use the insights we gain for competitive advantage."

Nearly 500 clients around the world are using Netezza technology today. Battelle's Pacific Northwest Division is using Netezza as part of the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, the U.S.'s largest, regional collaboration. In the demonstration, 60,000 customers in 11 utilities, across five states, will share a unique digital signal for their smart meters that will allow them to make better decisions about their energy use.

"The Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project uses IBM Netezza analytics to research new ways to improve the grid's ability to provide reliable, affordable and clean energy," said Ron Melton, the project's director. "Analytics allows us to verify the effectiveness of the smart grid technology being developed by the project, which is key to eventual scale up and support for renewable resources."

IBM Expands Big Data Analytics Portfolio

With today's news, IBM is expanding its Big Data analytics portfolio with Netezza technology to help clients capture and analyze all types of data on a massive scale.

IBM recently announced a $100 million investment for continued research on technologies and services that will enable clients to manage and capitalize on data as it continues to grow in diversity, speed and volume.